The site at Forest Hill is the only museum in the capital where the environment, ecology and human cultures can be seen side by side on a global scale. Its director, Nick Merriman, was presented with the £100,000 prize – the biggest museum prize in the world – by DJ and broadcaster Huw Stephens at a ceremony at the Design Museum on Thursday. Horniman was praised for completely restructuring its program in 2021 in the wake of the pandemic, Black Lives Matter and the growing urgency of the climate crisis. He created ‘Reset Agenda’, which focused on reorienting the activity to reach different audiences more representative of London. This included the incorporation of a Climate and Ecology Manifesto – from an online club of Environmental Champions to the creation of a micro-forest to combat local air pollution. “From the children’s takeover of the galleries to the youth panel made up of 14-19 year olds, work experience opportunities and Kickstart apprenticeships, the museum is inspiring the next generation,” said the Art Fund, the UK’s national arts charity . A further focus of the rollback agenda was Program 696, an interrogation of the power and responsibility public bodies have in supporting local music. The museum is said to have showcased Black British creativity through a sold-out festival that drew 8,000 visitors, while nearly 20,000 experienced the exhibition. Jenny Waldman, director of the Art Fund and chair of judges, said: “The Horniman Museum and Gardens has now blossomed into a truly holistic museum bringing together art, nature and its myriad collections. “His values are woven through everything he does now, with a passionate team breathing life and meaning into every object, performance, plant and animal. In many ways it is the perfect museum and I would encourage everyone to go and experience all it has to offer.” Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST Dame Diane Lees, director-general of the Imperial War Museums and a fellow judge, said the museum champions the natural environment and commissions artists and music festivals “to bring Frederick Horniman’s eclectic collections new relevance to different communities. They set the agenda for how a traditional museum can reinvent itself through powerful ideas.” The 2022 edition of the annual award supported organizations whose achievements told the story of museum creativity and resilience, with a particular focus on those engaging the next generation of audiences in innovative ways. The other four shortlisted museums – the Story Museum in Oxford, the People’s History Museum in Manchester, Ty Pawb in Wrexham and the Museum of Making in Derby – received a £15,000 award each in recognition of their achievements. Judges on this year’s panel also included artist and educator Harold Offeh, cultural historian and broadcaster Dr Janina Ramirez and Huw Stephens.
